Dump-car-door-operating mechanism.



' A..CAMPBELL.

DUMP CAR ODOR OPERATING MECHANISM. 'APPLIQATION'FJLED 1u'NE3. ma.

I 1,284,056., Patented N0v.5,1918. F191 y Inf/22221 flzgyle Campbell ABGYLE CAMIIBEL'L, OF GHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TdENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT GOMPriN Y,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DUMP-CAR-DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 3, 1918. Serial No. 237,877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Acorns Csnrnnnn, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a useful Improvement in Dump-Car-Door- Qpcrating Mechanism, of which the following is full, clear. concise and exact descripti'on, reference being ha 6. to the accoinpanying drawings, forminga part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dump car door operating mechanism. 7

In certain types of dumpcars, the door operating shafts are located near the-sides 1 of the car and extend longitudinally thercoil behind side sills, which depend below the iioor of the car. This obscures the door operating shaft from the operator when the operator stands in any ordinary position at one side oil the can. --In order to successt'ully manipulate shafts located as above mentioned, that is, render the parts actually manipulated by the operator visible in order to insure safety, it has been customary to extend the shafts through the body bolsters'and end sills and apply the ratchet mechanism or other devices at the end of the she ftthe end of the car. This practice involves considerable unnecessary expense in that longer shafts are required than actually necessary since there are ordinarily no doors located over the trucks or neaif the end of the car, the doors being located between the trucks only. In addition, it is, of course, evident that extra expense is involved in perforating the bolsters and end sills and in a lying the additional bearings required atflt ese points for the shaft. Furthermore, the longer the shaft, the greater the torsional elfect thereon so that heavier shafts are required wherethey are extended to the end of the car than would be required ii. the shafts were madeshorter and terminated at the end of the pivoted door section oi the car. U

The object ofmy invention is to provide door operating arrangement for dump are having theoperating shafts located as herein first mentioned, the mechanism being so designed that all of the parts which are manipulated by the operator are visible and readily accessible to the operator whilev th operator assumes his usual position bef e the car and 'wlthbllt the necessity of crouching beneath the certain new and safety to the car to get at the parts. Anothe1- and more specific object of the invention IS to provide a door operating rnechamsm having the characteristics above lndicated and which will afford absolute operator at all times, particularly when releasing the shaft with the load on the doors.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side "elevational View of a portion of a dump oar'showing my improvements in connection therewith, the portion of the car shown representing that portion of the car which is at the end of the dumping section terminating adjacent one of the trucks, the inner car wheel of the truck being partly indicated by the curved line a. Fig. 2 tending section of the car structure shown in Fig. 1, but on a somewhat larger scale, the section being taken inside of the side sill and corresponding substantially to the line 22 of Fig. 3. And Figs. 3 and 4 are detail, vertical, sectional views, taken on the lines 33 and H respectively of Fig. 1.

In said drawing. the side wall of the car is designated as and may be formed in any suitable manner as by means of planks, pressed stakes and diagonal braces. The car is of that type having pivoted drcipbottom doors. one of which is indicated at 11 in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The dumping door section extends between the trucks of the car only, one wheel of one truck being indicated by the reference a in Fig. 1. The car is also provided on each side thereof with a floor strip 12 flush with the floor doors and below which is disposed a channelside sill 13 having the flanges of the channel extended inwardly. The car is also provided with the usual diaphragms as indicated at 14., the same being preferably of pressed plate formation. c

For operating the doors, the car is provided on each side thereof with a longitudinally extending shaft 15 which is mounted in suitable bearing brackets 16 attached to the various diaphragms; The shaft 15 terminates adjacent the end floor door 11 as shown in Fig. 1 and, as clearly shown in' the drawings, the shaft is obscured from the view of the operator and practically'inaccessible while the operator is in any normal position beside the car.

Patented Nov. 5, 19 18 The improved, operating and locking mechanism for the shaft, which I have pro-- the ratchet wheel 18 hereinafter specifically described. The locking ratchet wheel 17 is non-rotatably attachedto the shaft 15 preferably by making the adjacent portion of the shaft'15 square, as indicated in Fig. 3. The locking dog 19 is pivoted to abracket 20 which is secured to the under side of the diaphragm It and side sill l3. Said locking dog l9 is gravity actuated by forming the handle 21 thereof heavier than the engaging portion 2'3 so that the engaging portion 22 will automatically drop into locking position with respect to the ratchet wheel 17. To prevent accidental disengagement of the locking dog 19 1 provide a cam 23 pivotally attached to the bracket '20 as indicated at 24.

' Fig. 3 shows the cam 21-; in looking position wheel 18 is a gravity pawl which is pivot'ed as indicated at 26 on a hanger 27. The hanger 27 is provided at its upper end with a bearing sleeve 28' freely oscillatably mounted on the hub 29 formed integrall with the ratchet wheel 18. At its lower ent the hanger 27 is provided with an enlarged socket 30 extending normally horizontally and adapted to receive therein the end of a claw bar or other suitable operating tool for producing leverage. V

In effecting the winding operation, the operator puts his claw bar or other tool in the socket 330 and then swings the bar downwardly as viewed in Fig. 4. In preparing for this movement, the operator w1ll engage the awl 25 with the ratchet wheel 18 by hanc and the weight of the tool applied to the socket 30 will be sufficient to keep the pawl in engagementuntil the operator actually forces the tool downwardly and thereby rotates the ratchet wheel 18 and shaft 15, a part of a revolution. \Vhen the shaft is thus rotated one step, it is evident that the locking dog 19 will automatically hold the shaft andcatch it in whatever position it may have been adjusted to, the teeth of the two ratchet wheels being alined for this purpose. Upon release of pressure on the operating tool, it is evident that the hanger 27 and pawl 25 will automatically swing downwardly under the influence of gravity and the pawl 25 disengaged from the ratchet wheel. The pawl 25 will be disengaged under the influence of gravity and also will be positively kicked out from the ratchet wheel 18 the hanger swings back to normal position. These operations are repeated until the doors are lifted to fully closed position whereupon theoperator removes the tool from the socket 30 and the pawl 25 will positively assume an inoperative position and leave the ratchet wheel 18 free. The winding up movement having been completed, the operator will then throw the cam 23 into position.

From the preceding description, it will be seen that all of the parts which are'directly manipulated by the operator are readily visible and accessible. so that the operator Ci" 1 act with safety. Furthermore, the pawl 20 is positively disengaged from the ratchet wheel 18 at tie end, of the winding movement so that dan er to the operator due to sudden release of the shaft with the load thereon, will not endanger the operator which might result from suddenly throwing any of the operating parts into motion.

The construction is obviously relatively cheap to manufacture, simple, easily operated, and eliminates all the disadvantages of the present 1 ual construction hereinbefore mentioned.-

I claim:

1. In a dump car having a dependin sill and a shaft extending parallel to sai sill and located behind-it above the lower edge of the sill and normally obscured from view, the combination with pawl and ratchet visible and accessible for operation, of means for lockingsaid shaft against accidental reverse rotation and including a member also extended below said sill by which the operatornmayrelease the locking mechanism. v 2. In a dump car having a sill extendin below the floor level of the car and an operating shaft extendingparallel to the sill and mechanism for rotating said shaft, said'pawl and ratchet mechanism mcludlng a member dependmg below said 5111 so as to be readily disposed behind the sill, the combination with pawl and ratchet. mechanism for rotating said shaft, said pawl rand ratchet mechanism including a ravity actuated pawl adapted to automatically assume an inoperative position under the influence of gravity, of means for locking said shaft against accidental reverse rotation and including a member extendin below the sill by which the.,;locking mechanism may be released.

3. In a dump car having a longitudinally extending sill and a door operating shaft mounted behind said sill and normallyobsoured from View, the combination witlygao hanger ci epeit s shaft to; e ooint below said siii, carried by saidhanger and ma 1 with on of saici ratchet Wheeis to g inovement of the sh w piveteiiy mounted and o otiie' of said ratchet i gegement, sail v accessibie close the 1 said shaft locking means mounted en the said siiii ieeie and dis; tic-g pivots V toiiisticeiiy mm 1' always assume s yespeet to seici, 3;21 locking said dog sense oi:

Y6 position with means for eccicientei' disem ing anoperating; i siii and l eilfiiiif/ 1' meni iuie 1 iii oiepe c ii anti a siia' t and .stioii with two shaft with os iiietaiiie imiidie extencied accessible to en in e 'diiiiip below the iiooi' handle extendet locking said clog e2 accidents gegement.

5. '1- & dump cs1 timing pivoted floor doors 'nd side sin Miing below the cm:- floor, 'ie co nbinetic, vit a iongituciiiiaiiy extending door 0" low the Eco: said shaft tennis of the car, of a mounted 'on the (10 posedi behind. iatabiy menu. a p siii, said poition socket to receive mi ends ratchet Wiieeis of sei shaft and dishangei osciishaft and having; d below the side provitied with eeting; tooi, a pswii 1. N extent/Lin pivotally mounted on said hanger sect erranged to cooperate with one of said ratchet wheels, said hanger being adapted to auto metrically assume a, depexiding vertical position and said pawl automatically assuming an inooerstive osition. a bracket mounted beiow said sill, a locking mounted on said bracket and adapted to co operate -W the other of saici wheels, dog having 1 isposeci below the sill, ivotaily mounted able with said dog.

dog pivotaliy an operating-bandi s and a iOCklIlg cam on said bracket cooper- 6. in a dump car having pivoted floordoors transversely extending underfra-me members and side sills disposed below the floor levei, the combination With & longitudifflztiijf through said transversely extending under frame members and disposed behind one of the side sills, said shaft terminating intermediate the ends of the car, of mean'sioi soteting said shaft so asto efieot closing movemerit of the doors, said means including a ratchet wheel on seisi'shatt, a -anger mated with said ratchet Wheel and. having at portion thereof extending down below the side sill and. thereby exposed to View, a pawl coopera'bie with the rate .i, Wheel .sizii hanger being adapted to receive an operating tooi; and means for locking saidl siiszi't against accidental reverse rotation,- meens including another ratchet WilQEZ-l mounted oil the shaft, and a pivoted locking dog coopersbie with said ratchet WheeL said locking dog having a portion thereof eX- tended down below said side sill and there by readily accessible formanipuistioe,

In witness that. I claim the foregoing 1E have hereunto subscribed my nemethis th day of May, 19-18 I 'AssYLE opiiteee L.

extending operating shaft passingra-tchet I 

